Monday, January 12, 2009

So far....so good!

So I am a little behind on the updates and no Christmas montage as hoped. Not that I haven't had time. I have just been doing other things. Like trying to stay warm! The temps here have been almost record breaking and we haven't seen cold like this in 12 years.

Dana has completed his second week as a Casey's General Store employee. He said that he plans on returning again next week so I think it is going well. He wore a suit the first day and they told him to stop that! ; ) He said that the whole environment is much more relaxed. So far, he is averaging 30 emails a day and a handful of phone calls. The company is much larger than KG so he doesn't communicate directly with the stores as he used to. He also said it is very different having the warehouse right at your fingertips and he loves having a cafeteria right in the building. (especially on these bitterly cold days!) I think that he really enjoyed his time off and was able to shut off the KG way and open himself up to a new way to work. So....it's all good!

I miss him terribly! I am very rusty about the schedule and organization so the first few days back for me were a little helter skelter! Thank God, Julie has offered to pick Carson up each afternoon....so no more waking babies. I am still trying to get my office put back together. I wasn't as successful about getting my jobs done while I was off. Other things beckoned and I gladly stepped out from behind the desk to play with the kids, watch football with Dana, and spend time with girlfriends! I am also getting really busy with After Prom stuff. I am co-chairing the Father/Daughter dance in early February and am trying to help in some way with the Silent Auction this weekend.

Jordan has had a really busy few weeks of basketball. He had a game everyday except Wednesday and 2 on Saturday last week. He seems to be handling it ok. Not getting a ton of playing time on Varsity but plays a lot of JV. Homework getting done and food being shoveled in whenever he can. This week was suppose to be as bad but the cold weather and snow took care of that. KG let him go. (We were thinking since Dana gave notice that they would really look for a reason to release Jordan!) Apparently some boys in his grade liked to hang around there a little too much when he was working and caused some trouble for him. Probably a blessing as he was really busy and not working a ton. Good thing he is very frugal because he is still responsible for filling his own gas tank! He has put in an application with the Grimes Park and Rec department to help with the summer programs and is now looking for a Sunday job that his classmates can't bother him at! (Notice I didn't say friends!!)

Abbey hasn't had much going on! Show Choir practice, homework, and reading. That girl can read a 300-400 page book in a few days! Oh, to be young again! She helped out at the beginning of the week watching the little two while we went to a few ball games. That way they can get to bed at a decent time. She did some babysitting last weekend to add to the stash of cash she has in a shoebox. I think it is time to take her to the bank. She made change for a $50 bill for Dana the other night! She also got a nice surprise this week. In her English class, it is a requirement that all students submit one of their writing works in a contest. She chose a poem that she had written early in the year, entitled "I Can't Write a Poem". Mailed to our home early this week was a letter congratulating her. Her poem has been selected to be published in the anthology "A Celebration of Poets". She was so excited and we are so proud.

The little two enjoyed some nice weather right after the first of the year and played outside a ton. This last week...not so much. We have been doing everything we can to not have to take them out of the house. Thus, cabin fever is setting in. Good thing they still think of the gifts they got for Christmas as cool. So it hasn't been so bad. Emma is having a little "dress up withdrawl". She runs around here with her little princess dresses on all the time and no socks. I told her this week that it was too cold for her to be in her dress up clothes. She didn't get it. She informed me that she "wasn't going outside in them". UGH!

These next few weeks are full of basketball and show choir events. Hoping the weather starts to cooperate so we aren't having to rearrange things again. We went over the Saylorville bridge at Polk City last night on the way to a basketball game and I wished it was warm enough for us to be putting the boat in! Dana also mentioned that with the new job and better hours we should be able to be out on the lake by 6:00 on the nights we don't have baseball! Guess we had our heads in the same place....warmer weather!

I do thank you all for continuing to check in on us! I hope that I haven't disappointed you too much by being a bit tardy with posts. Enjoy a few pictures from the last few weeks.


Jordan during warm ups.


Dana, Carson and Emma at last nights game.


Emma trying her hand at Rock Band!


Emma as Sleeping Beauty!


Abbey during a Show Choir performance.